A Call for Ethical Stewardship

From 2–4 December 2026, the world will gather in the United Arab Emirates for the UN Water Conference, co-hosted by Senegal and the UAE. Six interactive dialogues will form the core: 1) water for people, 2) water for prosperity, 3) water for the planet, 4) water for cooperation, 5) water in multilateral processes, and 6) investing for water.

In the lead-up, the UN has launched the second global online consultation (deadline 17 October 2025). Civil society organizations, academics, Indigenous peoples, local communities, businesses, and citizens are invited to share their ideas for the concept notes that will guide the conference.

Beyond the objectives, however, lies a deeper question: what ethic shapes our relationship with water? Too often, water is seen merely as an economic good. We must recognize it as the essence of life, the lifeblood of ecosystems, and the foundation of resilient societies.

The conference should move us toward a water ethic that treats rivers and groundwater as living systems with rights. A systems and resilience approach can overcome today’s fragmentation, while regenerative water management can restore ecosystems, empower communities, and unite us around a common purpose.

👉 Contribute here: UN Water Conference 2026 Consultation

The citizen and research project Drinkable Scheldt dreams of a river that is so clean again that you can safely drink from it. The initiative, which originated with the Dutch foundation Drinkable Rivers, brings together organisations and volunteers from France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Under the name Drinkable Scheldt, they work together with citizens, schools and scientists to measure and improve the water quality of the river. Through citizen science, water samples are taken and analysed at various locations, providing a better picture of pollution sources and trends. In addition to collecting data, the project focuses on raising awareness: a drinkable Schelde requires a new approach to agriculture, industry, waste and nature.

Irrawaddy Earth is now actively joining this initiative and playing an important role in Flanders. The organisation coordinates the Flemish part of the Drinkable Scheldt Walk 2025, co-wrote a first draft of the declaration of intent for a Drinkable Scheldt and is committed to community building around the theme. In doing so, Irrawaddy Earth helps to strengthen the project and connect more people and organisations with the dream of a clean, healthy and ultimately drinkable Scheldt.

After ten years of operating under the name Friends of Mbala-Mbala, the organisation will now continue as Irrawaddy Earth vzw. With the name change, the association wants to better reflect its broader commitment to sustainable water management, climate resilience and cooperation with communities in the Global South.

In recent years, the non-profit organisation has supported local projects focusing on erosion control, rainwater management, ravine restoration, agriculture and capacity building. Under its new name, Irrawaddy Earth will continue to work towards strong communities and a healthy living environment, together with partners and sponsors.

This year, Friends of Mbala-Mbala celebrates its 10th anniversary. The first years were as a de facto association, and since 2018 as a non-profit organization. During this period, we worked together with the local community to find solutions to some of the biggest challenges in the neighborhood. Thanks to joint efforts, projects were realized to combat erosion, promote sustainable rainwater management, restore ravines, and build capacity for local project management. In addition, an agricultural project was supported, which contributed to greater food security for the residents.

In total, €57,000 was raised for these initiatives over the past ten years. This was made possible thanks to the loyal support of friends and family, as well as generous contributions from sponsors such as OSJ Steunfonds vzw, Antea Group, and the King Baudouin Foundation.

This support has not only enabled concrete work to be carried out on the ground, but has also laid a solid foundation for sustainable change. Friends of Mbala-Mbala looks back on this first decade with gratitude and looks forward to the future with confidence.

In early April 2025, Kinshasa, the megacity in Congo, was severely affected by heavy rainfall that led to flooding and landslides. More than 60,000 people were affected and at least 170 lives were lost.

In an analysis for CIMIC-VZW, Tom D’Haeyer, water and climate expert at Irrawaddy Earth, places this disaster in a broader context. He points out that Kinshasa’s vulnerability is not only due to extreme weather conditions, but above all to rapid and uncontrolled urban expansion, inadequate infrastructure, and the lack of proper waste and water management.

Although heavy rainfall is expected to become more frequent according to climate forecasts, D’Haeyer emphasizes that structural causes such as chaotic urban planning, the degradation of natural buffers, and complex land rights are significantly exacerbating the toll of this disaster. “Understanding the social and historical power structures surrounding land use is at least as important as analyzing hydrological processes,” he concludes.

Link: Floods in Kinshasa: more than just a natural disaster – CIMIC vzw

In Kinshasa (DR Congo), several neighbourhoods are struggling with severe erosion and flooding after heavy rainfall. The situation is particularly dire in Livulu, where a landslide killed dozens of people in 2019. To tackle this problem, the Kikesa project was set up, a collaboration between the Association Internationale pour le soutien du Centre Kikesa (AICPKK), the University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), KU Leuven – AFD and various international partners.

The project focuses on sustainable rainwater management and ravine restoration. Specifically, this includes collecting rainwater via cisterns, constructing underground drainage tunnels and buffers, building a concrete collection pit and planting vegetation to prevent erosion. In addition, work is being done on community building, raising awareness and searching for sustainable alternatives to waste dumping in ravines.

Tom D’Haeyer supports this project as a technical advisor for Antea Group/Friends of Mbala-Mbala. This includes advice on hydrological calculations (Antea Group), the choice of materials and techniques, and the sustainable design of water drainage and ravine restoration. In this way, we are helping to strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable neighbourhoods in Kinshasa and to build local knowledge and capacity.